Kelin is doubtful that relevant agreements would be negotiated at a next meeting of the working group in charge of military affairs at the Contact Group on resolving the Ukraine conflict

VIENNA, May 15. /TASS/. Activity of volunteer battalions near the village of Shirokino in embattled Donbas hampers the conclusion of an agreement on a local ceasefire, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Andrei Kelin told TASS on Friday.

Kelin is doubtful that relevant agreements would be negotiated at a next meeting of the working group in charge of military affairs at the Contact Group on resolving the Ukraine conflict.

"All this is not so realistic since Ukrainian forces, especially volunteer battalions, are interfering, and in particular, are hampering the OSCE observers’ work," he said adding "Azov battalion fighters have been occupying an OSCE permanent observation point in the area of Shirokino for about two weeks and they have not abandoned it yet."

At the same time, Kelin underscored that participants of the Contact Group "are exerting all the efforts for reaching agreements to stop reciprocal shelling and to disengage troops near Shirokino.".